When herbs are inserted into the vagina, they are likely to disrupt the good bacteria in the vagina that’s designed to keep the vagina clean and healthy. When that bacteria’s disrupted, you can end up with an infection – leaving you with soreness and irritation.

The same goes for the steam from herbs, or tea made with herbs. The vagina is best left alone, with only the vulva (the outer parts of your genitals) needing to be gently cleaned with water. Anything you force up there – whether in the form of a liquid, steam, or little balls of herbs – will disrupt the vagina’s self-cleaning process.

And on to the second bit: Vaginal steaming of any kind of really, really not a good idea.

Steaming is essentially douching, but with added heat. Water inserted upwards damages the delicate bacteria balance of the vagina, while the heat disrupts that balance further, killing off good bacteria while creating ideal environments for bad bacteria.

Even if you ignored those risks (which you shouldn’t), you still wouldn’t see any benefits from steaming.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

The vagina is not able to absorb herbs through steam, and thus any fancy herbal steaming technique you use won’t do anything to treat fertility issues, hormonal problems, or whatever other difficulties vagina steaming fans tell you it will do.

But considering you’re risking scalded labia and an infected vagina by steaming, just having a wank in bed is probably a better method to feel fresher and happier.

If you skip the steaming and have a bath in these herbs, using herbal yoni teas can still cause issues.

Sitting in a tub of warm water for a prolonged period of time can lead to UTIs, while soaking in a herbal brew still puts you at risk of infection – just perhaps not as much of a risk as directing steam inside yourself.

Now, let’s say the people selling yoni tea had managed to side-step all these risks with specially tested bags of herbs (they haven’t. These products are unregulated, unchecked, and available for purchase). You still don’t need them.